Murdoc Niccals
"Be wary of people who use quotes. I don't know who said that." - Murdoc Niccals, Rise of the Ogre Murdoc Faust Niccals, born June 6th, 1966, reigns over Gorillaz as bassist, founder, and primary spokesperson - often rivaling 2-D as Gorillaz' true "frontman". An unabashed narcissist, Murdoc claims the vast majority of the band's accomplishments to be solely thanks to his influence - regardless of factual accuracy. Abusive, hot-headed, and increasingly manic, Niccals has never failed to serve as a controversial figure within the band's history; causing the band to collapse entirely on more than one occasion. Background Born at the Belphegor Sanatorium to an unknown mother, Murdoc was dumped on his father's doorstep as an infant; inevitably suffering a particularly abusive childhood, often being forced to perform before crowds and suffer extensive verbal degradation. Upon attending school, Niccals became something of a bully - breaking his nose following an altercation with one of his many rivals. Discovering music, Murdoc eventually decided to delve into the ways of Satanism; eventually making a life-changing deal with a particular Demon (which can be seen in flashback form in the music video for Rhinestone Eyes). The Demon, known as The Boogieman, offered Murdoc musical success in turn for his eternal soul. Agreeing to the trade, Murdoc was instructed use his forthcoming fame to spread the influence of evil, being gifted a new middle name, Faust, and the devil's own bass guitar, El Diablo. Rendered a walking corpse, Murdoc's skin began to slowly shift hues - eventually reaching a deathly green pallor. With a newfound lust for prosperity, Murdoc quickly jumped into the world of music. Cycling through a number of dead-end bands, Murdoc eventually decided to take matters into his own hands; robbing a keyboard store in search of further instruments. Ramming a stolen Vauxhall Astra through the store's front window, Murdoc critically injured the store's clerk, Stuart Pot; sentenced to a high number of community service hours, including occasionally looking after the now disabled Stuart. A further car-related incident - once again, to Murdoc's fault - caused the catatonic Stuart to suffer yet another cataclysmic injury, filling both eyeballs with blood. Nicknamed "Two Dents", or "2-D" for the two dents on his skull, Stuart snapped back to awareness; revealing himself to be musically talented, catching Murdoc's attention. Recognizing 2-D's ability, Murdoc named him the frontman of a new musical project - "Gorilla". Phase One - Celebrity Take Down Moving into the abandoned Kong Studios, Murdoc began recruiting musicians under the Gorilla name. 2-D's girlfriend, Paula Cracker, served as the group's guitarist, with 2-D himself offering vocals and keyboards. Hearing talk of a talented drummer in the nearby area, Murdoc hunted down and kidnapped Russel Hobbs - who, upon hearing the group's demos, decided to join the fledgling band. After discovering Murdoc having sex with Paula in one of the studio stalls, Russel broke the bassist's nose multiple times in a row - leading to Paula's removal from the band, allowing Noodle, discovered via a "Help Wanted" ad, to take her place. With the band reaching it's final incarnation (now with a fancy "Z''"), Gorillaz began work on their debut album. Written primarily by 2-D and Murdoc, the album proved Murdoc's unholy deal to be fruitful; immediately taking the group to the heights of fame. Following this success, Gorillaz began searching further creative options; settling on a feature film. However, after a series of failed scripts and unlikely pitches, Murdoc - enraged by the band's inability to write a solid script - called off the project, having attacked 2-D following a particularly spiteful comment. Leaving for Tijuana, Murdoc effectively abandoned the band. Phase Two - Slowboat to Hades Incarcerated after giving counterfeit checks to a pair of local prostitutes, Murdoc was stranded in Mexico. After meeting Cortez, his new pet raven, Murdoc managed to escape; heading back to Kong Studios after a long, well-needed absence. The band soon began production on their second album, Demon Days, written by Noodle during her time alone at the zombie-infested studio. With yet another success, the group saw further praise; leading Murdoc's already inflated ego to ''boil over, slowly corroding his very sanity. As can be seen in Gorillaz' MTV Cribs episode, Murdoc's hard-edged persona seemed to have taken a backseat to one of an oddly lightheaded atmosphere; made all the more apparent by the bassist's increasingly shocking public appearances, often appearing near or completely nude. During this time, Murdoc's loud personality began to take the forefront of the band's public image; effectively replacing 2-D as the "face" of Gorillaz. During this time, Murdoc became aware of a threat to Gorillaz; Jimmy Manson, a strange, unsettling hippie who had once lived alongside the band during the production of their proposed feature film. Upset after being rejected in favor of Noodle for the role of Gorillaz' guitarist, Manson wanted Gorillaz to see a gruesome end - willing to kill in order to obtain his goals. Unwilling to let anything falter his rise to stardom, Murdoc tricked Manson into trusting him; proposing a false plan to end Gorillaz with the death of Noodle, allowing he and Murdoc to begin a new band. This plan took place in the El Manana music video. Manson was instructed to hide in the Windmill Island and shoot Noodle with a concealed weapon, his bullet being hidden among the barrage of blanks being shot by the helicopters. As the Island went down, he was to escape via a hidden parachute. However, upon discovering no weapons nor parachutes hidden in the Windmill, Manson realized he had been tricked - going down with the Island. Murdoc's wavering sanity had reached an apex; killing a man for the sake of his own success, and risking Noodle's life in the process. Shocked and confused, Gorillaz broke up once again; with Noodle nowhere to be found. Phase Three - Escape to Plastic Beach After years of high-profile spending, Murdoc began to run low on funds, resorting to selling faulty weaponry to ruthless international pirate gang The Black Clouds. Upon discovering the quality of his products, the Clouds began pursuit - causing a horrified Murdoc to burn down Kong Studios for insurance money, escaping to Point Nemo - the home of a mass of garbage known as "Plastic Beach". During this time, Murdoc created a cybernetic clone of Noodle using DNA found at the Windmill Island crash site; programming her to serve as a soulless bodyguard against the oncoming Clouds. Together, the duo built a gargantuan mansion atop and within the floating mass of garbage, beginning plans for a new monetary venture. With a third album in mind, Murdoc called upon The Boogieman, asking him to carry out a number of tasks; including the kidnap of 2-D, who, upon discovering the truth behind the El Manana incident, wanted nothing to do with Gorillaz. Crammed into a suitcase and shipped to the island, 2-D was imprisoned, being forced to write and perform number of new songs alongside Murdoc and Cyborg Noodle. This would be the last time The Boogieman served Murdoc, however, as it seemed Murdoc had not entirely held up his end of their long-withstanding deal. Joining forces with the Clouds, the Boogieman began searching for the elusive Murdoc; seeking proper payment. As the Clouds and the Boogieman raged war on Plastic Beach, Gorillaz' third and fourth albums hit the scene; with Murdoc making a series of broadcasts during their stay on the island, known as the Pirate Radio show. Tensions grew extremely high between Murdoc and 2-D, who found no pleasure in his unwilling residence on an island made of pure garbage; let alone in Murdoc's increasingly abusive nature. It seemed that Murdoc's twisted mind had only grown more surreal; at one moment, he was a villainous schemer, while at the next, he was a goofy, upbeat comedian. The battle reached it's climax as the Clouds' nonstop barrage of attacks began to destroy the island, as can seen in the Rhinestone Eyes music video. As the battle raged on, Murdoc escaped alongside Cyborg Noodle in a submarine; abandoning the island, as well as 2-D. Assumed dead, the Clouds - as well as the Boogieman - quit pursuit. Phase Four - We Are Still Humanz After months of hiding below the surface, Murdoc and Cyborg Noodle were apprehended and imprisoned by record label EMI for breaching their contract, spending years behind bars in the aptly named "Dungeon Abbey". Eventually, Murdoc was offered his freedom in exchange for a new Gorillaz album; and offer he happily accepted. Reuniting and making amends with the rest of the band, it seemed Murdoc's extensive time in solute had worn away at what remained of the villainous side of his mind; leaving behind a happier, far more affable Murdoc. Though certainly as ghastly as ever, Murdoc had finally begun something of a new path. As seen in the Strobelite music video, Murdoc had an unusual encounter with an odd man at the bar of a trendy dance club; a man who, according to Murdoc, went on to frame him for an unrelated crime. This lead, yet again, to Murdoc's imprisonment - leaving Gorillaz without a bassist. Phase Five - The Now Now Replaced by distant cousin and longtime friend Ace Copular, Murdoc began a social movement entitled "Free Murdoc", fighting against his unfair imprisonment. The movement included viral marketing, public displays, chat games, and more, uniting Gorillaz' fans in the hopes of freeing the now far more respectable bassist. Murdoc further detailed the odd man who had framed him in one of many interviews, revealing him to be a demonic kingpin known as El Mierda. "El Mierda… is a shadow, a demon, a direct descendant to Nuestra Señora de la Santa Muerte herself. That’s foreign for ‘Our Lady of Holy Death’. A total fuckwit, basically. And muggins here had the misfortune of meeting him during the ‘Strobelite’ video shoot... I went to the bar and banged down some mezcals. El Mierda piped up; I presumed he wanted a selfie. How was I to know he was the kingpin of the bloodiest crime dynasty in modern history?" Despite enjoying their time away from the somewhat oppressive Murdoc, a mood of unease fell over Gorillaz as 2-D grew more and more akin to the abuser he once feared; gaining a similarly eccentric personality, with an unusually abrasive edge. Fed up,